Novels by Emily Cohen

Freddy's Pov "Of course," the commissioner agreed.I looked at Marco one more time. He was watching me with a mixture of hope and apprehension, his hands still clasped tightly in his lap."I hope you're telling the truth," I said quietly. "Because that little boy has been through enough trauma for a lifetime. He doesn't need any more.""I am telling the truth," Marco insisted. "I swear it on my sister's grave."I nodded and left the office without another word.The drive back to the villa was long, giving me too much time to think. Too much time to doubt.Everything Marco had said made sense. The story was consistent, the emotion seemed genuine, and the documentation appeared legitimate. By all accounts, he was exactly who he claimed to be.So why did I feel so uneasy?Maybe it was just my protective instincts kicking in. Maybe I was looking for reasons to doubt him because I didn't want to believe that Birdie would be leaving us. That Kaelia would have to say goodbye.Or maybe my in

Freddy's POVI stood in the commissioner's office an hour later, my jaw tight as I waited for him to bring in this supposed uncle.The drive into the city had been tense. My mind kept replaying Lucia's account of the attack, kept seeing the fear in Kaelia's eyes when she'd walked through that door. Someone had tried to hurt them. Someone had come at them with a knife in broad daylight.And now, conveniently, a family member appeared.The timing was too perfect. Too suspicious."Mr Montgomery," the commissioner said, entering the office with a folder tucked under his arm. "Thank you for coming on such short notice.""Of course," I replied, keeping my voice neutral. "Where is he?""I'll bring him in momentarily. I wanted to brief you first." He opened the folder, spreading several documents across his desk. "Marco Rossi. Thirty-eight years old. Works as a mechanic in Montepulciano. He provided these family photographs, birth certificates for both himself and his sister Elena, and docu

Freddy's Pov Kaelia and Birdie walked through the door, and with them was a woman who looked to be in her fifties. She was dressed casually but carried herself with an air of confidence and strength.One look at Kaelia's face told me something was wrong. She was pale, her eyes wide, and there was a slight tremor in her hands as she guided Birdie inside."Freddy," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "Something happened."My heart dropped. I crossed the distance between us in seconds, my hands immediately going to her shoulders."What? What happened? Are you hurt?""We're okay now, but..." she took a shaky breath. "We were attacked. In the city. A man with a knife."My blood ran cold. "What?""He followed us," she continued, her words coming faster now. "I noticed him trailing us, and then he attacked. He had a knife, and I thought – I thought – ""I stopped him," the older woman interjected calmly. "I was walking nearby and saw what was happening. I intervened."I looked at her prop

Freddy's POVI stood by the window of my study, a glass of scotch in my hand, watching the Italian sun cast golden light across the villa's gardens. The amber liquid swirled in my glass as memories flooded my mind—memories of that faithful night when everything changed.The club. God, that night at the club.I'd gone there trying to clear my head, trying to forget about the chaos that had become my life. Business deals gone wrong, Demitra's manipulations, the constant pressure from my father. I'd needed an escape, even if just for a few hours.And then I saw her.Kaelia.It had felt so surreal because after not seeing her for a while, after convincing myself that maybe I needed to move on, I never thought I'd see her on that particular day. But there she was, standing in that crowd, looking every bit the angel she was. The dim club lights had caught the curves of her face, and for a moment, everything else had faded away.I remembered walking up to her, my heart pounding in a way i

Kaelia's POVThe drive into the city was peaceful. Birdie sat in the backseat, his eyes wide as he watched the Italian countryside give way to cobblestone streets and terracotta rooftops."Look, Birdie," I said, pointing out the window. "See those buildings? Some of them are hundreds of years old.""Hundreds?" he repeated, his voice filled with wonder."Yep. This city has been here for a very, very long time."I parked the car near the historic centre and helped Birdie out. His small hand slipped into mine as we began walking down the narrow streets lined with cafes and shops."Where should we go first?" I asked him.He shrugged but kept looking around, taking everything in.We wandered through a piazza where street performers entertained small crowds. A man was making enormous soap bubbles that floated through the air, catching the sunlight. Birdie's eyes followed them, a genuine smile spreading across his face."Pretty," he said softly."They are, aren't they?"We stopped at a gelat

Kaelia's POV By ten am, I got a call from Rachelle.It was a video call. “Kaelia,” she squealed, “Oh, it's so good to see your face again,”“Yours too,” I replied, “It feels like ages since I last saw you,”TJ popped his face in. “Hi, Kae,”“Hi, Tj. Don't tell me you've been with him since the last time I called,” I asked Rachelle. She put her hands up in surrender, “Guilty as – shit!”“What's up?” “I started taking Pilates classes yesterday,” she said, “My muscles are not finding the assault funny,”I laughed, “Sorry about that. No pain, no gain, right?”“I do not subscribe to that mentality,” she laughed, “Tell me, what's been going on between you and lover boy?”“Oh, we're good,” I replied, feeling my cheeks getting hotter. “What type of answer is that?” She said, “I don't care how red your cheeks become. You're giving me details,”I gave in to her coaxing and told her everything that had happened during the past week. She listened with fascination, gasping, especially when